Gorgias of Leontini (c. 480 c.

375 BCE)
Tr. George A. Kennedy, in Sprague, The Older Sophists (South Carolina, 1972).
The numbered e!tion re"e!t the pagination o# the tandard Gree$ te%t& phrae in
pointed bra!$et (' () repreent !on)e!tural re!ontru!tion o# miing portion o#
the te%t. Subhead mar$ing the di*iion o# the pee!h (e.g., prologue) ha*e been
added. +ote that in the original Gree$ te%t there are no ubhead and no paragraph
brea$& in the ultimate original, ,ritten by Gorgia himel#, there alo ,ould ha*e
been no brea$ bet,een ,ord, no -mall letter,. and no pun!tuation. The te%t
,ould ha*e loo$ed omething li$e thi (ee Helen 1)/
,hatibe!omingtoa!ityimanpo,ertoabodybeautytoaoul,idomtoana!tion*i
rtuetoapee!htruthandtheoppoiteo#theeareunbe!omingmanand,omanand
pee!handdeedand!ityandob)e!thouldbehonored,ithpraiei#praie,orthyan
din!urblamei#un,orthy#oritiane0ualerrorandmita$etoblamethepraiableand
topraietheblamable
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2 famous statements ! Gorgias"
1. Thee #rom Gorgia1 lot treatie On the Nonexistent/
+othing e%it.
2r, i# anything doe e%it, it !annot be $no,n.
2r, i# it !an be $no,n, it !annot be !ommuni!ated.
2. A 0uotation preer*ed in 3lutar!h, How the Young Man Should Study Poetry
(pea$ing o# the theater)/
-The de!ei*er i more *irtuou than the non4de!ei*er,
and the de!ei*ed i ,ier than the unde!ei*ed..
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Encomium of #e$en
prologue
1. 5hat i be!oming to a !ity i manpo,er, to a body beauty, to a oul ,idom, to
an a!tion *irtue, to a pee!h truth& and the oppoite o# thee are unbe!oming. 6an
and ,oman and pee!h and deed and !ity and ob)e!t hould be honored ,ith praie
i# praie,orthy and in!ur blame i# un,orthy, #or it i an e0ual error and mita$e to
blame the praiable and to praie the blamable.
2. 7t i the duty o# one and the ame man both to pea$ the need#ul rightly and to
re#ute 'the unright#ully po$en. Thu it i right to re#ute( thoe ,ho rebu$e 8elen,
a ,oman about ,hom the tetimony o# inpired poet ha be!ome uni*o!al and
unanimou a had the ill omen o# her name, ,hi!h ha be!ome a reminder o#
mi#ortune. 9or my part, by introdu!ing ome reaoning into my pee!h, 7 ,ih to
#ree her #rom blame and, ha*ing pro*ed her detra!tor a pre*ari!ator and pro*ed
the truth, to #ree her #rom their ignoran!e.
narrative
:. +o, it i not un!lear, not e*en to a #e,, that in nature and in blood the ,oman
,ho i the ub)e!t o# thi pee!h i preeminent among preeminent men and ,omen.
9or it i !lear that her mother ,a ;eda, and her #ather ,a in #a!t a god, <eu, but
allegedly a mortal, Tyndareu, o# ,hom the #ormer ,a ho,n to be her #ather
be!aue he ,a and the latter ,a dipro*ed be!aue he ,a aid to be& and the
one ,a the mot po,er#ul o# men and the other the lord o# all.
=. >orn #rom u!h to!$, he had godli$e beauty, ,hi!h ta$ing and not mita$ing,
he $ept. 7n many did he ,or$ deire #or her lo*e, and her one body ,a the !aue
o# bringing together many bodie o# men thin$ing great thought #or great goal, o#
,hom ome had greatne o# ,ealth, ome the glory o# an!ient nobility, ome the
*igor o# peronal agility, ome the !ommand o# a!0uired $no,ledge. And all !ame
be!aue o# a paion ,hi!h lo*ed to !on0uer and a lo*e o# honor ,hi!h ,a
un!on0uered.
?. 5ho it ,a and ,hy and ho, he ailed a,ay, ta$ing 8elen a hi lo*e, 7 hall not
ay. To tell the $no,ing ,hat they $no, ho, it1 right, but bring no delight.
8a*ing no, gone beyond the time on!e et #or my pee!h, 7 hall et #orth the
!aue through ,hi!h it ,a li$ely that 8elen1 *oyage to Troy hould ta$e pla!e.
proofs [partition & arguent !" she was fated#
@. 9or either by ,ill o# #ate and de!iion o# the god and *ote o# +e!eity did he do
,hat he did, or by #or!e redu!ed or by ,ord edu!ed 'or by lo*e poeed(.
+o, i# through the Art, it i right #or the reponible one to be held reponible& #or
god1 predetermination !annot be hindered by human premeditation. 9or it i the
nature o# thing, not #or the trong to be hindered by the ,ea$, but #or the ,ea$er
to be ruled and dra,n by the tronger, and #or the tronger to lead and the ,ea$er
to #ollo,. God i a tronger #or!e than man in might and ,it and in other ,ay. 7#
then one mut pla!e blame on 9ate and on a god, one mut #ree 8elen #rom
digra!e.
[arguent $" she was for%ed#
7. >ut i# he ,a raped by *iolen!e and illegally aaulted and un)utly inulted, it i
!lear that the raper, a the inulter, did the ,ronging, and the raped, a the
inulted, did the uBering. 7t i right then #or the barbarian ,ho undertoo$ a
barbari! underta$ing in ,ord and la, and deed to meet ,ith blame in ,ord,
e%!luion in la,, and punihment in deed. And urely it i proper #or a ,oman raped
and robbed o# her !ountry and depri*ed o# #riend to be pitied rather than pilloried.
8e did the dread deed& he uBered them. 7t i )ut there#ore to pity her but to hate
him.
[arguent &" she was persuaded 'y words#
C. >ut i# it ,a pee!h ,hi!h peruaded and de!ei*ed her heart, not e*en to thi i
it diD!ult to ma$e an an,er and banih blame a #ollo,. Spee!h i a po,er#ul
lord, ,hi!h by mean o# the Anet and mot in*iible body eBe!t the di*inet
,or$/ it !an top #ear and banih grie# and !reate )oy and nurture pity. 7 hall ho,
ho, thi i the !ae, in!e
9. it i ne!eary to oBer proo# to the opinion o# my hearer. 7 both deem and deAne
all poetry a pee!h ,ith meter. 9ear#ul huddering and tear#ul pity and grie*ou
longing !ome upon it hearer, and at the a!tion and phyi!al uBering o# other
in good #ortune and e*il #ortune, through the agen!y o# ,ord, the oul i ,ont to
e%perien!e a uBering o# it o,n. >ut !ome, 7 hall turn #rom one argument to
another.
1E. Sa!red in!antation ung ,ith ,ord are bearer o# pleaure and baniher o#
pain, #or, merging ,ith opinion in the oul, the po,er o# in!antation i ,ont to
beguile it and peruade it and alter it by ,it!h!ra#t. There ha*e been di!o*ered t,o
art o# ,it!h!ra#t and magi!/ one !onit o# error o# the oul and the other
de!eption o# opinion.
11. All ,ho ha*e and do peruade people o# thing do o by molding a #ale
argument. 9or i# men on all ub)e!t had 'both( memory o# thing pat and
'a,arene( o# thing preent and #ore$no,ledge o# the #uture, pee!h ,ould not
be imilarly imilar, in!e a thing are no, it i not eay #or them to re!all the pat
nor to !onider the preent nor to predi!t the #uture. So that on mot ub)e!t mot
men ta$e opinion a !ounelor to their oul, but in!e opinion i lippery and
ine!ure it !at thoe employing it into lippery and ine!ure u!!ee.
12. 5hat !aue then pre*ent the !on!luion that 8elen imilarly, againt her ,ill,
might ha*e !ome under the in"uen!e o# pee!h, )ut a i# ra*ihed by the #or!e o#
the mightyF 9or it i poible to ee ho, the #or!e o# peruaion pre*ailed&
peruaion ha the #orm o# ne!eity, but it doe not ha*e the ame po,er. 9or
pee!h !ontrained the oul, peruading it ,hi!h it peruaded, both to belie*e the
thing aid and to appro*e the thing done. The peruader, li$e a !ontrainer, doe
the ,rong and the peruaded, li$e the !ontrained, in pee!h i ,rongly !harged.
1:. To undertand that peruaion, ,hen added to pee!h, i ,ont alo to impre
the oul a it ,ihe, one mut tudy, Art, the ,ord o# atronomer ,ho,
ubtituting opinion #or opinion, ta$ing a,ay one but !reating another, ma$e ,hat i
in!redible and un!lear eem true to the eye o# opinion& then, e!ond, logi!ally
ne!eary debate in ,hi!h a ingle pee!h, ,ritten ,ith art but not po$en ,ith
truth, bend a great !ro,d and peruade& 'and( third, the *erbal dipute o#
philoopher in ,hi!h the ,i#tne o# thought i alo ho,n ma$ing the belie# in
opinion ub)e!t to eay !hange.
1=. The eBe!t o# pee!h upon the oul i !omparable to the po,er o# drug o*er the
nature o# bodie. 9or )ut a diBerent drug dipel diBerent e!retion #rom the
body, and ome bring an end to dieae and other to li#e, o alo in the !ae o#
pee!he/ ome ditre, other delight, ome !aue #ear, other ma$e the hearer
bold, and ome drug and be,it!h the oul ,ith a $ind o# e*il peruaion.
[arguent (" she was %opelled 'y love#
1?. 7t ha been e%plained that i# he ,a peruaded by pee!h he did not do ,rong
but ,a un#ortunate. 7 hall di!u the #ourth !aue in a #ourth paage. 9or i# it
,a lo*e ,hi!h did all thee thing, there ,ill be no diD!ulty in e!aping the !harge
o# the in ,hi!h i alleged to ha*e ta$en pla!e. 9or the thing ,e ee do not ha*e
the nature ,hi!h ,e ,ih them to ha*e, but the nature ea!h a!tually ha. Through
ight the oul re!ei*e an impreion e*en in it inner #eature.
1@. 5hen belligerent in ,ar bu!$le on their ,arli$e a!!outerment o# bronGe and
teel, ome deigned #or de#ene, other #or oBene, i# the ight ee thi,
immediately it i alarmed and it alarm the oul, o that o#ten men "ee, pani!4
tri!$en, #rom #uture danger 'a though it ,ere( preent. 9or trong a i the habit
o# obedien!e to the la,, it i e)e!ted by #ear reulting #rom ight, ,hi!h !oming to a
man !aue him to be indiBerent both to ,hat i )udged honorable be!aue o# the
la, and to the ad*antage to be deri*ed #rom *i!tory.
17. 7t ha happened that people, a#ter ha*ing een #rightening ight, ha*e alo lot
preen!e o# mind #or the preent moment& in thi ,ay #ear e%tinguihe thought.
And many ha*e #allen *i!tim to uele labor and dread dieae and hardly !urable
madnee. 7n thi ,ay ight engra*e upon the mind image o# thing ,hi!h ha*e
been een. And many #rightening impreion linger, and ,hat linger i e%a!tly
analogou to ',hat i( po$en.
1C. 6oreo*er, ,hene*er pi!ture per#e!tly !reate a ingle Agure and #orm #rom
many !olor and Agure, they delight the ight, ,hile the !reation o# tatue and the
produ!tion o# ,or$ o# art #urnih a pleaant ight to the eye. Thu it i natural #or
the ight to grie*e #or ome thing and to long #or other, and mu!h lo*e and deire
#or many ob)e!t and Agure i engra*ed in many men.
19. 7#, there#ore, the eye o# 8elen, pleaed by the Agure o# Ale%ander, preented to
her oul eager deire and !ontet o# lo*e, ,hat ,onderF 7#, 'being( a god, 'lo*e
ha( the di*ine po,er o# the god, ho, !ould a leer being re)e!t and re#ue itF
>ut i# it i a dieae o# human origin and a #ault o# the oul, it hould not be blamed
a a in, but regarded a an aHi!tion. 9or he !ame, a he did !ome, !aught in the
net o# 9ate, not by the plan o# the mind, and by the !ontraint o# lo*e, not by the
de*i!e o# art.
2E. 8o, then !an one regard blame o# 8elen a )ut, in!e he i utterly a!0uitted o#
all !harge, ,hether he did ,hat he did through #alling in lo*e or peruaded by
pee!h or ra*ihed by #or!e or !ontrained by di*ine !ontraintF
epilogue
21. 7 ha*e by mean o# pee!h remo*ed digra!e #rom a ,oman& 7 ha*e ober*ed
the pro!edure ,hi!h 7 et up at the beginning o# my pee!h& 7 ha*e tried to end the
in)uti!e o# blame and ignoran!e o# opinion& 7 ,ihed to ,rite a pee!h ,hi!h ,ould
be a praie o# 8elen and a di*erion to myel#.